Role Play Board: What Goes Around (Part 2)

What Goes Around (Part 2)

Posted by Nightwing on 9/11/2008, 11:45 pm, in reply to "What Goes Around (Part 1)"
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Fear and panic wash over me as I realize what I had just done. I rush to my feet and try to clear the dreariness from my eyes. Spotting a clock, I continue to freak as it glares back at me, 3:30. Crap! Breakfast!

I rush through the hallway, past the living room, and into the master bedroom. Sliding through the clock on the wall, I step into the operations center of the mythical Oracle. Babs turns and flashes me a smile, but I continue to look panicked, “Crap, Babs, I’m so sorry! I was just worn out, and I was going to take a small nap, just five minutes and then we could go out and eat some good food and I wanted to take you out so bad and impress you and I ruined it and now you probably want to hit me with your stick again and I’m really sorry and I want to make it up to you and…”

Her eyes grow wide before she places her hand on my shoulder and brings the other to her mouth, “Wow, easy there speedy. It’s fine. I could tell you had a longer night than usual. You needed the rest, I get it.”

“I’m glad, but you have to let me take you out for lunch to make up for it.”

She checks her watch, “It’s a little late for lunch. Don’t worry about it.”

“No! I have to make it up. How about dinner?”

I can see the objection in her expression, bringing a frown to my face, “It doesn’t have to mean anything Babs, I just wanted to take you out for some food. Like old times.”

She looks up at me, now sorrowful, “It’s not that Dick. I just…I have other plans for tonight.”

“Oh, well that’s cool. Dinah and you hanging out, that’s cool. She really needs some friends right now after what happened to her and Oll-“

“No, Dick, it’s not that,” her frown worries me. What am I missing?

Turning back to her wall of monitors, she begins working on whatever it is she was doing before I interrupted her. She looks back at me only briefly before clearing her throat, “Look, Ted offered to take me out for a nice meal, just as friends, and I already accepted. So I can’t, ok?”

My gaze falls to the ground and I follow my foot as it kicks around the loose wires on the ground, “No, it…uh…it’s fine. I’m cool with that. I can just make a rain check and uh…”

Thoughts fill my head, memories of recent events; all jumbled together like a crazy mixture of different lives. We’ve had so many ups and downs in the time we’ve known each other. I always mess it up, miss my chance, letting the next guy take it from me. When am I going to finally just tell her?

I look back up at her, but not directly at her face, “You and Ted…you’ve been hanging out a lot lately huh?”

She stops typing, as if annoyed by the conversation about to take place, and looks up at me, “We’re just friends Dick. Ted is fun to have around and he makes the girls all laugh. After his time away, it’s nice to have him back around and so I’ve been trying to make him feel welcome. That’s it. I just want him to feel comfortable in Gotham again. So I let him buy me dinner every now and then. It’s-”

The speech stops in mid-sentence as a small beeping noise goes off in the room. Barbara reaches down for an ear piece and places it on her right ear, “This is O.”

A look of concern washes across her face, and suddenly everything we’d been discussing disappears. “Ok, Canary. I’ll see what I can do,” she replies.

“What’s up?”

Another few minutes pass as she types again, and then finally she turns back to me, “Looks like Dinah and Helena are being attacked by Giganta and Cheetah in downtown. I’ve got to get some back up down there.”

I nod in defeat, “Yeah, I’d better let you get back to that. It was good seeing you again, thanks for the shower, soft bed, oh and the bruise.”

She frowns, “Dick…I…I’m really sorry…”

The deep voice of Green Lantern comes blaring over the speakers. Barbara looks from me to the monitor and for a second she doesn’t move; unsure of which is more important. I take the choice from her and simply nod, “I know, me to.”

I turn to leave the room, and head for the other side of the apartment. Gathering my things from the restroom, I quickly change and head back out into the main living area. In the distance I hear her filling Hal in on all the details. I would run to help the girls, but I know that it’s a matter out of my hands. Right now, heroic is the last thing I feel.

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That Night
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Things have gone steadily downhill. Seems like the same kind of jerks from last night have all turned up once more to get their butts kicked; don’t they ever learn?

Throughout the night, I continue to think of the situation with Babs. I can’t help but be frustrated with the whole situation. That’s become the norm for us though. The crooks that come out tonight are going to get an extra helping. I can’t beat the crap out of my relationship problems, but I can certainly take it out on some nameless thug.

It doesn’t take long until I hear the all too familiar sound of someone getting robbed. With the firing of my grapple, I swing into action, ready to give out another dose of frustration. As I land, I spot a guy dressed in all blue, haggling a fairly large group of men. It’s definitely not my normal rescue the helpless from the bully situation. I don’t ask questions; instead I lower my voice and belt out my best spooky slur, “Break it up.”

The guy in blue doesn’t turn around; instead he just tilts his head slightly and smiles over his shoulder, “This isn’t any of your business big dark and spooky. Go frighten some kids or something. Me and the boys are just having a friendly conversation.”

I look at the other men, and they all appear frightened, as if threatened by this one guy. I reach into my gauntlet and pull out a Wing-ding, “This isn’t a meeting hall. Take your business elsewhere punk.”

“I only ask nicely once,” the guy sighs. I catch the body language of his right arm moving towards his jacket pocket. He’s reaching for a weapon. “Back off,” everything starts going in slow motion. I watch his movement and try to time my throw just right. As he puts weight on his left leg and spins, I toss the Wing-ding, and wait for the usual clang.

To my surprise, I witness a bright blue object strike the Wing-ding in midair and slice right through it. I barely have enough time to dodge the object, and fall to the ground flat on my chest. I stop long enough to hear the whizzing go past and jump to my feet. I’m preparing to charge the guy when I hear the whizzing once more. Unsure of where it’s coming from, I run along the wall and back flip out of the alley. The object grazes my suit and takes some Kevlar with it.

I land hard on my knee and quickly look back at the guy in blue who is now starring in my direction, “Bravo. Not many people can say they’ve dodge that. That’s ok though, I’ve got plenty more tricks up my sleeve, just for you.”

As I stand back to my feet, I withdraw my escrimas from their holders, “Oh man, did you ever pick the wrong night to test my patience.”

The guy, who I can now see is younger than me, pulls another weapon from his jacket. For the first time I see the detail and realize that they are blades in the shape of a bright blue boomerang. I can’t help but smirk, “What are you, some kind of knock off of Captain Boomerang? Let me tell you kid, there are a lot of crappy criminals out there, but that has to be one of the worst choices you could have gone with.”

His blood boils and I can tell I’ve struck a nerve. He pulls three more boomerangs from his jacket and points back at me, “Ouch. See, I was going to let you off with some serious bleeding, in the hopes that you might live. Now, I’m going to have to really enjoy this. The name’s Owen Mercer and my father was the original Captain Boomerang. Now what was it you were saying about my old man?”

I scratch the back of my head and shrug, “Opps?”

***TBC by Battle***